Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TENNESSEE

I started this a couple nights ago, but have been having so much problem with my back that I have not wanted to sit at the computer. At first I did not realize that it was my back, but have settled on that now and am using ice packs. It is helping. We just came back from a drive through the park today and I will go outside to sit in the sun, if it stays with us, when I finish this Blog. Upon entering the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, we were greeted with this statue of Minnie Pearl and Roy Acuff . The life size figures rest on an original 1892 oak pew in the Ryman's main lobby. The history of the Ryman dates back to the 1880's when Thomas Ryman, a riverboat captain and Nashville businessman, attended a revival by famed traveling evangelist, Sam Jones. Legend has it that Captain Ryman planned to heckle the preacher, but instead was converted on the spot and decided to raise money for a permanent place for Jones to preach. It took seven years to build and cost approximately $100,000 and housed the Union Gospel Tabernacle. It was renamed the Ryman Auditorium upon Captain Ryman's death in 1904. From 1904 until the Opry came in 1943, it served for many varied events including religious revivals, jazz recitals, operas, political debates, boxing matches and even livestock sales. During the time the Grand Ole Opry was held there, from 1943 to 1974, the Ryman seldom had a vacant seat for Saturday night's Opry and the lines for the box office went around the building. The Ryman was one of the south's premier performance halls because of it's lineup of talent and the amazing acoustics. When it was rented to the Grand Ole Opry, it changed the course of history for country music and the Ryman. After the Grand Ole Opry moved to their "new" location, the Ryman remained empty and talk of razing the building brought a huge public outcry including the owner, Lula Naff, Dollie Parton, and Millie Pearl. The Ryman reopened in 1994 after a major renovation and is used to this day as a museum and to present the best of entertainment to a new generation . This side of the auditorium has replacement stained glass windows that were donated by Johnny Cash for the renovation. The story behind this donation is that Johnny was banned from the auditorium because of his behavior during his last performance there, when he smashed up things around the stage including the stage lights. The Ryman had a hard fast rule about behavior in the building as well as about any tardiness or absence from a performance. You could be tardy once, but the second time would cause your banishment from the hall permanently. There was also a story about Elvis' one and only showing there. He was told that they did not like the suit that he wore, even though it was just a black tux with ruffled white shirt and black bow tie. They say that they thought the comment was made by other men who were jealous of his popularity. Anyway, of his own choosing, he never performed there again. We also went through the different dressing rooms, one of the least favored was the one nearest the stage. However, this was Minnie Pearl's favorite! The guide also told us how the price tag hanging from her hat came about. It seems that when she bought a new flower for her hat and put it on, she was unable to remove the tag. So she just tucked it up under the flowers. However, upon finishing her performance the tag was hanging as you remember it and she gave up and wore it that way from that day forward. I would have liked to have attended a musical in memory of Patsy Cline while there, but we opted for just having our picture taken on stage instead. Next time we will see a show there. The acoustics were wonderful and all tourists were granted the opportunity to sing and/or play a guitar there while on the stage. As I said we just opted for the photo!! The pocket doors from the original building were hung on the wall in the second floor lobby for show. They were made from a beautiful exotic wood. When the renovation took place they were not permitted to use them because of the fire laws, so they were just displayed on the wall. The vestibules and the 5th Avenue Galleries feature rotating exhibits of photographs, paintings, and artifacts that are changed throughout the year. The second floor also has a Hatch Show Print Gallery which shows unique posters made in one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America. You can also visit Ryman's own recording studio to cut your own CD and visit their gift shop for a piece of history. Our tour guide also told the story of famous Ryman Alley where the Everly Brothers were discovered sitting and singing on the back steps in the doorway on the left of this photo. While other wanabees hung out in Tootsie's Violet Lounge across the alley , where it is rumored that Roger Miller wrote "Dang Me". The unruly lounge patrons were kept under control by the owner, Tootsie Bess, using the jeweled hat pin that Charley Pride gave her. She was also known to slip a $5. or $10 into the pickets of luckless writers and pickers. It was said that she had a cigar box behind the counter full of IOU's from drinks and food that she had given to hungry pickers and writers also. Willie Nelson was also to have slept on the roof of Tootsies when he was down and out. Many of the success stories began in this lounge as is shown in photos on the walls in Tootsies. As our tour continued on the streets, the guide pointed out the name Patsy painted on the roof of the auditorium as a joke . I think that the joke was on him as it is said that the employee who did this was fired! It was all very interesting and we really enjoyed it. Of course, our memories of music began during this era!